Learn How to Machine Quilt with Our Easy Tutorials

You Can Quilt on a Sewing Machine Too!

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Janet is a blogger, designer, and teacher who specializes in quilting techniques. Janet has over 300 articles published and is the co-author of the Rodale book Classic American Quilts: Stars.
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Janet Wickell
Published on 04/30/17 by
Janet is a blogger, designer, and teacher who specializes in quilting techniques. Janet has over 300 articles published and is the co-author of the Rodale book Classic American Quilts: Stars.
Learn about The Spruce Crafts's Editorial Process

Updated 04/30/17

Machine Quilting Tips and Techniques

Like any other quilting skill, learning how to machine quilt takes a bit of practice. But you'll find that some machine quilting methods are easy to accomplish on your very first try.

Machine quilting has been growing in popularity for many years. Not terribly long ago, it was unusual to see award-winning quilts that were not hand-quilted, but today's machine quilters have changed that mindset by developing techniques that can either make a quilt appear hand quilted (if that's the intent) or showcase it with an incredible variety of machine-sewn stitches.

While some sewing machines are designed to make machine quilting a simple task, nearly any sewing machine can be used for machine quilting.

Think of this handy index as a starting page for machine quilting instructions, and stop back often to find new tutorials to help you learn the ins and outs of machine quilting.

  • 01 of 07

    An Introduction to Machine Quilting

    Quilting with Long Arm Machine
    Susan H. Smith/E+/Getty Images

    You won't learn how to machine quilt by reading this article, but you will learn some of the options you can choose from when you decide to delve into the technique.

    Learning how machine quilting methods differ will help you choose the best method for a project -- free motion techniques or straight line quilting.

  • 02 of 07

    So You Want to Machine Quilt?

    This article, by former contributor Rosaland Hannibal, steps you through the process of deciding whether or not you would like to machine quilt your next project and leads you to tutorials that can help you make decisions along the way.

  • 03 of 07

    Avoid Machine Quilting Pitfalls

    Avoid the pitfalls as you read machine quilting tips in this helpful tutorial. Learn a bit about thread choices, needle sizes, how to avoid fatigue while quilting and much more.

  • 04 of 07

    Machine Quilting Supplies

    Quilters have access to an endless variety of supplies to help them complete any technique, and tools and supplies for machine quilting are no exceptions.

    Once you've mastered machine quilting, you will likely develop your own favorite brands, and many of us create our own "tools" from household items -- quilters are definitely inventive.

    For now, this list of important supplies will help ensure you have what you need to get the job done.

    Continue to 5 of 7 below.
  • 05 of 07

    Use a Walking Foot to Help You Machine Quilt

    A walking foot, which is sometimes called an even feed foot, is a huge help when you want to machine quilt straight lines and gentle curves. The foot's mechanism grips the top of the quilt and feeds it through the sewing machine at the same rate that feed dogs move the bottom.

    A walking foot helps in other ways, too -- try it to sew binding to a quilt or when you make a rag quilt.

  • 06 of 07

    How to Make a Quilt Sandwich

    Your quilt top is complete. Now it's time assemble a quilt sandwich, with batting in the middle and a backing on the... well, back. Use this advice to create a quilt sandwich that's ready to baste securely together before you start quilting.

  • 07 of 07

    Machine Quilting Advice from Fellow Quilters

    Machine quilting is one of those methods that we all seem to develop our own best ways to accomplish. You'll love these machine quilting tips from members of the online quilting community.